Time flew by, and another graduation season arrived.
On this particular day, Feng Qi didn't head to the training room. Instead, he put on a clean set of clothes and left the Crimson Research Institute.
Escorted by a military vehicle from the Crimson Defense Corps, he returned to Star City Academy.
The familiar sights brought a wave of nostalgia as if everything had happened just yesterday.
After entering the academy gates, he went directly to Bai Fusheng's office, bringing with him three vials of "Gene Elixirs" produced by the Crimson Research Institute.
Though several years had passed, Bai Fusheng was as spirited as ever, greeting Feng Qi with a warm smile and asking about his experiences in recent years.
When Feng Qi took out the Outstanding Contribution to Humanity Gold Medal, Bai Fusheng's face lit up with a radiant smile.
After visiting Bai Fusheng, Feng Qi left the principal's office. By this time, the evening sky was painted with shades of orange, and the sun was setting. The graduation gala was about to begin.
Following the familiar path, he made his way to the field.
The field was brightly lit, with dining tables neatly arranged across the lawn. Each table had a wooden plaque marking its corresponding class.
At the forefront of the field was a stage decorated in red. As with previous years, this year's graduation gala was an extravagant affair, with numerous celebrities in attendance to give their blessings to the graduates embarking on their new journeys.
Finding the table marked for Combat Class Three, Feng Qi sat down and waited.
Moments later, familiar figures appeared—Hui Xu and the others.
When they saw him, their faces broke into smiles.
"Qi-ge!" Their greetings stirred countless memories.
Once Lü Yue, Hui Xu, and the others had settled in, they began peppering Feng Qi with questions about his experiences over the past year.
Of course, he couldn't divulge the truth about his life. Instead, he gave vague responses, saying he had been working on cultivation technique research and had achieved some minor progress.
As darkness fell, the field remained brightly lit.
A familiar figure appeared in the distance, striding quickly toward them.
"Qi-ge!"
The figure draped an arm around Feng Qi's shoulders as he turned to see Lin Ran's face breaking into a grin.
It had been a long time since they'd met. Over the past year, Lin Ran had been burdened with numerous tasks, and their contact had diminished. This was their first reunion in quite some time.
"Lin Ran, I've been seeing your research achievements lately. You've really made a name for yourself."
Lin Ran chuckled as he took a seat beside him.
"Well, just minor achievements, really. Compared to you, I'm still far behind. I've always thought that if anyone in this world could create a god-level cultivation technique, it'd be you!"
"Don't flatter me. I know my limits." Feng Qi laughed.
"To me, you'll always be the unparalleled master of cultivation technique research. No one can surpass you."
"You're such a bootlicker!" Feng Qi said, exasperated.
"Slurp, slurp!" Lin Ran exaggeratedly mimicked licking boots, drawing laughter from everyone at the table, including Feng Qi himself.
Despite the passage of time, Lin Ran remained exactly as Feng Qi remembered him—unchanged in the slightest.
At that moment, Lü Yue's voice rang out.
"Mu Qing-jie is here."
Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately turned to look toward the southern gate of the field.
In the distance, Mu Qing approached, dressed in a white combat suit.
She looked taller now, her imposing aura radiating even from afar. The pressure of her qi and blood was palpable, even across the field.
Her ethereal demeanor made her impossible to ignore.
She walked steadily to Feng Qi's left, smiling warmly at everyone.
"Long time no see," she said.
"Wow, who's this stunning beauty? She can't be Mu Qing-jie, can she? I remember her promising to bring us some domain beast meat when she returned!"
"Exactly! Miss, you've got the wrong table. We're only missing Mu Qing-jie here."
Cai Guo and Yang Xiaoxin's playful banter had everyone laughing, including Mu Qing.
Her arrival brought the group back together at Star City Academy, reuniting friends who had taken different paths.
Lin Ran, now regarded as humanity's brightest hope in spell research, was the undisputed founder of the "Seal Formation Spell School," a towering figure among cultivators.
Meanwhile, Mu Qing, a rising star on the front lines, was hailed as the warrior most likely to claim the title of "Battle God" in this era.
When Mu Qing sat beside him, a familiar warmth filled Feng Qi's heart.
Compared to his memories, Mu Qing now exuded greater confidence and maturity. He could only imagine what she had gone through in the past year.
As the graduation gala began, Mu Qing suddenly turned to Feng Qi.
"Vice-Captain, I'm planning to form my own combat squad."
Her words drew everyone's attention to Feng Qi. They all remembered the promise he had made when Mu Qing graduated last year.
Feng Qi nodded.
"When I finish my current tasks, I'll come find you."
He didn't agree immediately because he felt the timing wasn't right. His involvement could alter history prematurely, potentially disrupting the founding of the Dawn Rebel Army.
In his view, the best time to join the Dawn Army would be after Mu Yan approached Mu Qing.
By then, the Dawn Rebel Army would be established.
Through Mu Yan, Mu Qing would learn many truths, and the Dawn Army's records would provide critical information about the motivations behind certain drastic actions.
Hearing his response, Mu Qing smiled and nodded firmly.
After several rounds of drinks, Yang Xiaoxin and the others began sharing their post-graduation plans. Feng Qi offered his heartfelt blessings to each of them.
After the gala ended, Mu Qing and Lin Ran left first.
By now, Mu Qing was the vice-captain of the Snow Wolf Squad, with numerous responsibilities that left her little time to linger.
Lin Ran's schedule was even more demanding. Taking leave from his intense research to attend the event had already been a significant effort.
Their brief reunion ended as each returned to their respective paths, pursuing their ideals and dreams.
Feng Qi didn't leave early. He stood at the gates of Star City Academy, watching as every student departed.
When Lü Yue, carrying his sword Jian Lan, arrived at the gate, a smile appeared on Feng Qi's face.
"Qi-ge, we'll meet again someday."
"Where are you heading?"
"The frontlines."
"If you're heading to the frontlines, why not go with Mu Qing?"
Lü Yue shook his head at the question.
"I'm better suited to being a domain wanderer. Squads aren't for me."
"Planning to be a lone wolf? If you get injured, there'll be no one to save you. That's not cool at all."
"Dying in battle is nothing to fear."
"Stubborn fool!" Feng Qi scowled at Lü Yue's indifferent expression.
Lü Yue hadn't changed. He was the same in every timeline. Feng Qi's memories filled with images of days spent alongside Lü Yue in countless timelines.
In this one, Feng Qi made up his mind: he would pull Lü Yue into the Dawn Rebel Army and make him his comrade again.
Feng Qi knew that Lü Yue's dream aligned with his own—they both fought for humanity's ultimate victory.
With that thought, Feng Qi smiled at Lü Yue.
"Lü Yue, I'm inviting you to join me as my comrade once more."
Lü Yue looked at him with confusion as Feng Qi pointed to the Crimson Research Institute's military vehicle parked nearby.
"Take a ride with me?"
"Alright." Without hesitation, Lü Yue nodded, trusting him completely.
After seeing off the last student, Yan Yue, Feng Qi and Lü Yue got into the vehicle.
The car drove toward the Crimson Research Institute, where Feng Qi shared his secrets with Lü Yue without holding back.
While he didn't go into detail about the pain he endured in each timeline, the revelations still left Lü Yue in stunned silence.
When Lü Yue recovered and faced Feng Qi's invitation again, he didn't hesitate this time. He agreed resolutely to follow Feng Qi's lead.
Hearing Lü Yue's confirmation, Feng Qi beamed with joy.
In this timeline, the sword returned to its sheath, once more by his side.
In the days that followed, Feng Qi resumed his grueling training regimen, with Lü Yue becoming his sparring partner.
As the days turned into weeks, Feng Qi kept a close eye on Mu Qing's progress.
Three months later, news arrived that Mu Qing had officially formed the Dawn Rebel Army.
Good news seemed to follow daily. Mu Qing's growth was astonishing, and even scavenger warriors who avoided collaboration with city-based squads began joining her.
During this time, Feng Qi received an email from Mu Qing informing him that the vice-captain position in the Dawn Rebel Army was reserved for him.
After much hesitation, he declined again, replying that he still had unfinished research tasks. He promised to join her after completing them.
He added a note, encouraging her to find someone capable to fill the vice-captain position.
A month later, Mu Qing replied with a firm statement: the vice-captain position would remain vacant, waiting for his arrival.
Feng Qi could only sigh. He didn't care about titles like vice-captain, but Mu Qing's determination left him no room to argue.
He replied simply: "We'll reunite another day."
And so, time passed—five years in the blink of an eye.
At the Crimson Research Institute, Feng Qi continued his intense physical training in the conditioning room.
Over the years, his compatibility with the Demon Dragon Rune Crystal had steadily increased, but his strength had reached a bottleneck.
After fusing with the Rune Crystal, his improvements relied on its energy reshaping his body.
However, this process had its limits.
Like mixing hot and cold water, the temperature would eventually stabilize. The Demon Dragon Rune Crystal's enhancements to his body were nearing their peak.
Wei Wei, the Gene Division's director, had explained this limitation of rune modifications.
While they offered significant short-term power boosts, once the rune crystal's energy was fully assimilated, further growth became challenging.
But there were exceptions.
Feng Qi looked at the crimson rune crystal embedded in Mu Qing's body and its seemingly limitless potential.
As long as there was enough food, that rune crystal could continuously extract energy and feed it back to Mu Qing.
But for Feng Qi, who lacked the ability to devour and evolve, further growth would have to come through cultivation.
However, the rune modifications on his body had reduced its compatibility with cultivation techniques, negatively affecting his training efficiency.
Faced with this, Feng Qi made his choice: once he hit a bottleneck, he would shift his focus back to cultivation to continue growing stronger.
Currently, his strength had reached the upper Silver tier, but he didn't find it remotely sufficient.
The road ahead was fraught with peril; survival was necessary to uncover more secrets.
After three hours of strength training, he set down the specially crafted iron chains and prepared to replenish himself with a nutrient solution.
Just as he stepped out of the strength training room, his heart rate suddenly spiked, and an overwhelming sense of danger swept over him.
The beast-like instincts granted by the Demon Dragon Rune Crystal warned him that a murderous intent was closing in.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi spun around and delivered a swift side kick.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed as a pale blue figure was sent flying.
It was then he got a clear look at the assassin.
The figure resembled a humanoid, standing about 1.5 meters tall, with a white eye embedded in its forehead. The eye blinked faintly, enveloping its body in an invisible force that halted its flight, suspending it mid-air.
Seeing the assassin's form, Feng Qi's heart sank, and a thought solidified in his mind.
For the longest time, he had suspected that every untimely death he experienced was due to hidden assassins targeting him.
In prior timelines, he had died quietly several times without warning.
His suspicions had always pointed toward the Institute of Technological Research and the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
The Institute of Technological Research, in particular, seemed involved in multiple incidents of his untimely death.
But as he gathered more intelligence, he realized that some of these deaths didn't align with the methods of either institute.
They seemed more like a death curse—an inevitability that struck at a certain time.
And this death point shifted as history changed.
He had theorized that perhaps a third unknown faction was behind the attempts on his life.
Now, staring at the blue-skinned assassin, Feng Qi's theory was confirmed.
The assassin suspended in mid-air blinked its third eye, and Feng Qi immediately felt an oppressive weight crush down on him. Black spots began to fill his vision, and soon his entire field of sight was engulfed in darkness.
It was as if he had been locked in a pitch-black prison, completely cut off from the outside world.
At the same time, he felt his consciousness being rapidly devoured by the darkness. If he didn't escape this mental cage soon, his mind would collapse, leading to brain death.
Yet, Feng Qi remained calm.
In the darkness, he closed his eyes and focused on sensing the Demon Dragon Rune Crystal linked to his consciousness.
The crystal immediately manifested in his mind.
Without hesitation, he activated the "Rage" ability.
Instantly, a surge of energy erupted from the rune crystal, flooding his body. His skin turned crimson, like a boiled prawn, as steam rose from his body. His imprisoned consciousness broke free.
More accurately, he had lost his consciousness altogether.
The essence of the "Rage" ability was exchanging intellect for brute strength.
If he became mindless, no form of mental manipulation could affect him. Driven purely by instinct, he launched himself at the blue figure.
His steaming fist collided with the assassin's face, filled with disbelief, sending it flying once more.
Even without his senses, Feng Qi didn't relent. He closed in and grabbed the assassin's arm, tearing it off with a violent pull.
Blue blood splattered as the assassin let out a shrill scream. Its third eye rotated again, releasing an invisible force that blasted Feng Qi away.
The impact left a dent in his chest, but his rapid self-healing abilities closed the wound in seconds. Without missing a beat, Feng Qi lunged at the assassin once more.
The assassin's gaze betrayed a flicker of terror.
What Feng Qi didn't realize was that the surveillance footage from the conditioning room only showed him fighting the air.
The camera captured no sign of the assassin.